Hidden by Helen Frost

Bibliography
Frost, Helen. 2011. Hidden. New York: Frances Foster.  ISBN 978-0-374-38221-6

Plot Summary
This is a beautiful story about Wren and Darra, two teenagers who are confronted with having to remember and understand a traumatic event both experienced years before.  When they were eight years old, Darra's dad, a car thief, didn't know that Wren was in the back seat of the car he stole.  When the news reports that a little girl was in the car, Darra's family are surprised and worried.  What happened to the little girl?  Where is she?  Wren is well-hidden in the locked garage, but she hears the violent behavior Darra's dad displays to Darra and her mother.  Years later, both are at Camp Oakwood and unexpectedly meet.  This multi-layered novel-in-poem, is a story about memories and an unanticipated friendship.

Critical analysis
This emotionally charged book is one that teenage girls will understand with an uncanny awareness of teenage emotions.  Hidden explores the complex feelings people have towards each other.  Frost uses two different voices to give each girl a unique sound. Wren's poems are written in free verse which Frost explains are the placement of words "like musical notation." Each word that Frost chooses for Wren evokes a powerful image. When Wren struggles with her feelings about Darra, she says "It's not that I don't like her - it's just that...she knows too much about me."

Frost created a new form of poem for Darra's voice.  Frost explains in her "Notes on Form," that the last word on each long line will give insight into Darra's story." When Darra saw a picture of Wren, through this form, Darra says "I could tell she was one of those girls who had never been hit."  This revelation aside, although interesting technically, most of the sub-text doesn't necessarily add to the emotional experience of Darra's story.  We learn more about Darra through her decision to stay longer at the camp, stating that "If I leave on Saturday, I'll never get to know her - the girl from back then, those two days on TV, trapped in our garage. But more: who she is now." 

There is a wonderful balance between the two girls; both are given the opportunity to explore their feelings about meeting each other and what happened in the past. Wren is confronted with hearing the voices she heard while locked in the garage during her terrifying ordeal, while Darra is trying to accept the fact that, through this event, it took her abusive father away from her and into jail.  Realizing that they share a common bond, a wonderful use of metaphor is when Wren says "Slowly, warily, we swim toward each other."  Frost's use of words creates powerful imagery, and she has tapped into a world of the natural emotions of friendships. 

Review excerpt(s)

"Many teen readers will identify with Wren and Darra and how events that happened to us when we were younger help shape the person we become." --VOYA

"Beginning with a horrific story of an accidental kidnapping, this poetic novel is impossible to put down....A masterpiece!" --Kids Ink Children's Bookstore

 “Like Frost’s Printz Honor Book, Keesha’s House (2003), this novel in verse stands out through its deliberate use of form to illuminate emotions and cleverly hide secrets in the text.”--Booklist

"...Frost's lyric narrative resolves movingly by alternating between the two protagonists. Frost's tale exhibits her trademark character development that probes the complexities of intimate relationships. Here Wren's touching statement, "I was a happy little girl / wearing a pink dress," eventually leads to Darra's private admission to Wren: "None of it was our fault." Both tender and insightful, this well-crafted, fast-paced tale should have wide teen appeal. --Kirkus Reviews

"...This original blend of crime tale, psychological study, and friendship story is a page-turner that kids will love. There are a few plausibility issues, but there are many more strengths. Wren's captivity in the garage is truly suspenseful, and the various interactions of the kids at the sleepover camp are a study in shifting alliances. The book also touches on some deeper issues, like how you can love a parent who is sometimes abusive, and how sensitive kids can blame themselves for things that aren't really their fault. Smoothly written, this novel carries a message of healing and hope.--School Library Journal

Connections
*Students may like other books by Helen Frost.
      - The Braid. ISBN 978-0374309626
      - Keesha's House. ISBN 978-0374400125
      - Crossing Stones. ISBN 978-0374316532

*Students may want to read books with the similar theme of friendship and growing up.
      -  Ursu, Anne. Breadcrumbs. ISBN 978-0062015068
      -  Ada, Alma Flor. Dancing home. ISBN 978-1442481756
      -  Palacio, R.J. Wonder. ISBN 978-0375869020

*Ask students if they've ever been away to summer camp.  Did they find friendships easier or harder to make at camp?  Were they friends with kids at camp that they might not be friends with at home?  If so, what made the difference?